


Have I Done Enough? (Will They Tell Your Story?)

by musicaltvbooks



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Eliza is an angel, Gen, Hey at least this one has a happy ending, Historical Inaccuracy, I lied there's more historical innaccuracy than I though wHOOPS, Only in one section tho, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-10 03:23:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10428054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicaltvbooks/pseuds/musicaltvbooks
Summary: Everyone Eliza had loved died. Normally, she would allow herself to wallow in grief, but not now. No, she has legacies to protect.Alternatively titled The 4 Times Elizabeth Hamilton Left Her Mark On History, and the One Time History Paid Attention.(Kind of a sequel to I Am Inimitable, but you don't need to read it to understand. They're just kind of linked to each other.)





	

**Author's Note:**

> This might make you cry. Fair warning.
> 
> Disclaimer: Death, breakdowns, lots of crying, self doubt, and more death. Fun.

It all started with the President. She had never considered herself as a person who went out of their way to make sure someone was remembered, but turns out she was. Especially when she saw the people around her disrespecting the President, stomping on his legacy, ignorant of what an amazing man and President he had been. It had been easy, that first time. She had had the support of her husband and most of the politicians, even Thomas Jefferson had helped her preserve George Washington's legacy.

~~~~~~~~~~

_"Wait, the people are saying **what** about George Washington?" Eliza had never seen Alexander look so furious. She contemplated just telling him that she was joking, but banished that thought before it fully formed. This was important, and she would not let trivial things like self doubt stop her from doing what she needed to do. _

_"They're saying  that George wasn't as good of a president as people like to believe. They've even convinced the people around them to not donate to the Washington Monument project!" Eliza was wrong. This was the angriest she had ever seen Alexander._

_"We have to do something!" It was a good thing her husband had come to this conclusion himself. What Eliza was going to say next might mean the end of his career, and it was going to take a lot of courage to do it._

_"Well, I was thinking that we could use your political power and maybe convince the people to donate?"_    _Alexander lit up at that._

_"That's an amazing idea! That way, we can get more support for any future campaigns I want to run and get the people to see George as the man he truly was!" Eliza smiled and nodded along. This was going to be fun._

_~~~~~~~~~~~~_

After that, her husband died at the hands of one of his best friends, and preserving his legacy came out of necessity. She saw the world forgetting him, forgetting her beloved Alexander, and there was no way she would stand for that. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

_"Man, I really hate this banking system. Who was the guy who came up with it? I'd really like to punch him in the face."_

_"I dunno. I bet it was an old rich guy with too much time on his hands though."  Conversations like these and more float around everywhere she goes. How could people forget Alexander? Sure, her husband wasn't the most tactful, but he had done so many good things for the world. She made up her mind. If nobody was going to bother to remember him, she'd have to take control of his legacy and metaphorically shove it in their faces._

_So she did. She interviewed all the soldiers that fought by her husband's side, she had her sister help her organize his works and publish them. She made sure everyone remembered him. After all, Alexander had died after pouring his heart and soul into this country, and there was no way she was going to let the world go on with forgetting him and slowly erasing his presence._

_~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Then she got news that Aaron Burr was dying. The man who shot her husband, who ended his life too early, who hadn't let him finish all his works and idea that he had for the world. She would have loved to just let him die, let him be the one being erased from history, but she couldn't. No matter what he had done to her and her family, he deserved a legacy too. He was her husband's first friend, and she had grown close to Aaron over the years that she knew him. So she gathered herself and went to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Eliza took a deep breath. She had been so certain on the way over, but now that she was actually here, it was starting to become hard, just thinking about going in there. Her hand hovered over the doorknob. Maybe she could leave, give herself a couple of hours to collect herself and then come back?_

_Eliza shook her head. She was here now, and based on what she had heard, Aaron might not even have a couple more hours left. So she opened the door. Any doubt she had had before evaporated when she saw Aaron's face. The man looked so surprised, like he couldn't believe that someone was actually there, let alone her. She smiled, and went to his side, grasping his hand when she got there._

_"Mrs. Hamilton? What are you doing here?" Burr's voice was giving out, Eliza could barely hear him. She smiled gently, her heart breaking at the fact that he even felt compelled to ask the question_

_"I heard you were dying, and nobody should have to die alone, Aaron. And please, call me Eliza, we've been over this."_

_"Why?" Eliza didn't know it was even possible for her heart to break even more, and yet, it somehow managed to._

_"Like I told you all those years ago Aaron, I'm not mad. I was irritated, yes. But I wasn't mad at you. You were the first friend my husband made, and I know that he was sorry for not supporting you. And as I said just now, nobody should die alone. No matter what they've done, they deserve to have someone there." Burr just shook his head. If her heart kept this up, there'd be nothing to break very soon. She gently squeezed his hand._

_"Well Aaron, no matter what you say, I'm here now, and I'm not leaving until you're dead." So Eliza sits with Aaron, talking about nothing of importance, until he takes his last breath. She squeezes his hand one more time, and takes a moment to grieve._

_Then, she collects herself, and leaves. After all, she has another legacy to protect._

_It doesn't matter if it's for the man who killed her husband. Everyone deserves to be known for the good they've done. Eliza firmly believes this._

_So she sets off, already constructing the papers she'd write to protect Aaron Burr's legacy._

_~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Really, the next thing she does isn't protecting a legacy, but it's just as important, if not more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

_"Ugh. All of these street urchins and bastards running around, polluting the city. I say if nobody's going to care for them, they shouldn't even be alive." This made Eliza's blood boil and she had to physically back away from the idiot to stop herself from just punching them in the face, no matter how much they deserve it. She decided to take a walk to calm herself down._

_She had been walking for about 10 minutes when an idea came to her. She had heard from her husband of places for orphans to stay, where they were cared for, fed, clothed, and loved, even if they did not have parents or any family. She had to start an orphanage._

_She quickly turned around and started heading back home. There was no way Eliza would be able to accomplish this task on her own, but she knew of some ladies who would probably be willing to help her. She just had to come up with a more concise plan._

_~~~~~~~~~~~~_

And now here she is. It'd been so long since she made all those decisions, and yet she regrets none of them. The orphanage is her pride and joy, she helped raise so many wonderful children, and she loved it. Fairly close was the Washington Monument. It had just been recently completed, and she felt a swell of pride every time she thought of it. The Monument was a direct result of her work. Eliza doesn't care if she is forgotten by history, as long as all the legacies she had protected stayed that way, her life's work would continue to be complete.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~_

_Almost two hundred years later, someone walks into a bookstore._

_"Can I help you, sir?" The man nodded after a moment of consideration._

_"I'm going on vacation, and I'd like a reeallly big book to read." The store attendant immediately smiled._

_"I know the perfect book! If you'll follow me, please." The man followed the store attendant to a bookshelf slightly hidden in the far back corner, and picked up the book that the attendant pointed at._

_"This one?" At the attendant's nod, the man inspected the book more closely. "Huh. Alexander Hamilton. Why not!"_

**Author's Note:**

> Et voilà!
> 
> Like, I know Eliza probably didn't preserve the legacy of the man that shot her husband but w/e I love the idea of that happening so.
> 
> Also, I was obviously not there when LMM bought the book for his vacation, this is just how I'd like to imagine it went. 
> 
> (I didn't write this just so I could have an excuse to write the last scene whatareyoutalkingabout)
> 
> (I listened to WLWDWTYS so many times to write this I rly hope u guys liked this tear fueled piece. Also I listened to Do You Hear The People Sing from Les Mis, and it oddly helped me complete this faster??)
> 
> WRITING THE FIRST SENTENCE FROM THE ORPHANAGE SECTION KILLED ME U GUYS. I DO NOT CONDONE KILLING CHILDREN AND I WILL WILLINGLY PUNCH THIS FICTIONAL HISTORICAL PERSON THAT I MADE SAY THAT. (also I'm now realizing that in at least 3 fics including this one I've written Eliza as angry enough to fight someone. oops)
> 
> Unrelated to anything, I'm sad bc they took Doctor Who off of the US Netflix and now I have no way to watch it D:
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this!


End file.
